Communication terminal

ABSTRACT

The invention aims at providing a communication terminal capable of suppressing degradation of an antenna gain irrespective of whether the casing of the communication terminal is opened or closed. The communication terminal includes a hinge for coupling in a foldable manner a first casing member and a second casing member, each including conductors such as a first printed board and a second printed board. In close proximity to the hinge in the second casing member is provides a second antenna. The hinge includes a first rotation axis composed of a conductive metal material working as an axis of rotation of two casing members in opposite directions and a second rotation axis composed of a conductive metal material working as an axis of rotation in a direction orthogonal to the direction of rotation about the first rotation axis. A predetermined clearance L to place the conductors of the first and second casing members in capacity coupling is formed and the hinge is insulated from the conductor of one of the two casing members.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a communication terminal havingfoldable casings, and in particular to a casing structure of acommunication terminal equipped with an antenna fortransmitting/receiving a radio signal.

BACKGROUND ART

A first example of a prior art foldable communication terminal is onedescribed in Patent Document 1. The prior art foldable communicationterminal is described below referring to drawings. FIG. 20 shows thestructure of a prior art communication terminal and the principle ofoperation of the antenna provided thereon. FIG. 20A shows a state wherethe casings are closed and FIG. 20B a state where the casings areopened. In FIGS. 20A and 20B, the communication terminal includes afirst casing 202 connected to a telescopic antenna 201 and a secondcasing 203 positioned on the side of the antenna, the second casingincluding a metal material or a material including a metal, the firstand second casings 202, 203 interconnected. The communication terminalis designed so that the high-frequency current flowing through the firstcasing 202 where the antenna 201 is equipped will also flow into thesecond casing 203. The directions of the currents are shown by arrows G,H, I and J.

A second example of a prior art foldable communication terminal isdisclosed in Patent Document 2. This communication terminal has astructure that a first casing where an antenna is provided at one end iscoupled to a second casing in a foldable manner via a hinge and aflexible board wound in a helical fashion is arranged in the hinge. FIG.21 shows a change of the flexible board which accompaniesopening/closing operation of the casing in case the flexible board isprovided in a helical fashion. In FIG. 21, (a) shows a state where thecasings are opened and (b) shows a state where the casings are closed.The shape of the flexible board 204 in FIG. 21(a) while the casing isopened is shown by solid lines, and by chain double-dashed lines whilethe casing is closed so as not to change the angle of twist.

(Patent Document 1)

-   JP-A-2002-33804    (Patent Document 2)-   JP-A-6-311216

On the communication terminal of the first prior art example, the firstand second casings are connected so that the currents flowing throughthe casings 202, 203 will be in same phase with each other (arrows G andH are in the same direction). That is, each current flows from the endwhere the antenna 201 is provided to the opposite end. When the twocasings are opened, the casing current (arrow I) flowing through thefirst casing 202 stays the same as that the casing current (arrow G)flowing when the casing is closed. On the other hand, the direction ofthe casing current (arrow J) flowing through the second casing 203 isdifferent from, or in opposite phase with, that of the casing current(arrow H) flowing through the first casing member 202. Thus, theradiation effect could be deteriorated when the state of the casings isshifted from the closed state to the opened state. Depending on theconnection manner of casing and an antenna, the radiation effect couldbe deteriorated.

The communication terminal in the second example has a structure thatthe antenna protrudes from the casing. Such a protruding antenna has aproblem that the antenna gets snagged on the edge of a pocket when theuser takes out the communication terminal from the pocket. In recentyears, a foldable hinged communication terminal with an integratedantenna has been in growing demand.

As shown in FIG. 21, the flexible board 204 wound in a helical manner issubject to a bending stress and a twisting stress with theopening/closing operation of the casings, which could break theconductive portion (circuit pattern) of the flexible board 204. In ordernot to change the twist angle of the flexible board wound clockwise fromthe bottom to the top, the flexible board is wound in chaindouble-dashed lines shown in FIG. 21(a), thus avoiding the twistingstress. However, both ends of the flexible board 204 are fixed to thesame positions of the casings (in the same horizontal direction)irrespective of the opening/closing operation of the casings. When thecasing is closed into a shape shown in the solid lines in FIG. 21(b)from the open state, the twist angle changes to an approximate P/2.Thus, the flexible board 204 is subject to a bending stress and atwisting stress in accordance with the opening/closing operation of thecasings.

In general, a flexible board is flexible so that it is resistant enoughto a bending stress. A composite stress exerted on the flexible boardinvites a wire break or rupture. Thus, in the prior art, repeating theopening/closing operation of casings could bring about the wire break orrupture of the casings, which has required improvement.

The invention has been accomplished in view of the above problems andhas as an object to provide a communication terminal capable ofsuppressing the degradation of an antenna gain irrespective of whetherthe casing of the communication terminal is opened state or closedstate.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A communication terminal according to the invention includes a hingeportion, which connects two casing members having conductive portions soas to freely open and close, and an antenna, which is provided near thehinge portion in one casing member of the two casing members. The hingeportion includes a first rotating member, which is formed by conductivematerial and which serves as an axis for rotating the two casing membersin an opposed direction of the two casing members, and a second rotatingmember, which is formed by the conductive material and which serves asan axis for rotating one casing member of the two casing membersrelative to the other casing member under a non-opposed state of the twocasing members in a direction perpendicular to a rotating directionwhile the first rotating member serves as the axis. A predeterminedinterval for capacity coupling of the conductive portions of the twocasing members is set. The hinge portion is insulated from one of theconductive portions of the two casing members.

With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate an opposite-phasehigh-frequency current flowing from one casing member to another via thehinge portion in a state that the two casing members are opened. Whilethe two casing members are closed, the high-frequency current flowinginto the other casing member can be in same phase with that flowing intothe one casing member. It is thus possible to suppress the degradationof antenna gain irrespective of whether the casing members are opened orclosed.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that a flexible conductor which connects the conductive portions ofthe two casing members is disposed in one end side of the first rotatingmember, and a feeding part of the antenna is disposed in the other endside of the first rotating member.

With this configuration, even in case the flexible conductor and theantenna are arranged in close proximity in a foldable communicationterminal including a flexible board provided in a hinge portion, theflexible board and the feeding portion of the antenna are separated.Thus the effect of the flexible board on the antenna performance can beeliminated.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that a winding portion is formed on the flexible conductor disposedin the one end side of the first rotating member.

With this configuration, break or rupture of the flexible board causedby the opening/closing operation of the casing members can be avoided,which prolongs the service life of the flexible board. The curvature ofthe winding portion changes with the opening/closing operation of thetwo casings. A flexible conductor is arranged at the opposite end to thefeeding part where a high-frequency current flows. Thus, even when theflexible conductor is in close proximity to the antenna, it is possibleto avoid the degradation of characteristics of voltage standing waveratio (VSWR) as an antenna characteristic, thereby obtaining a stableantenna gain.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that a cable which connects the conductive portions provided in thetwo casing members, and the cable is inserted into the winding portion.

With this configuration, the cable length can be reduced to minimum incase the conductors in two casings are connected to each other with acable.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that the antenna is extended from the one end side to the other endside of the first rotating member.

With this configuration, it is possible to avoid the degradation ofantenna performance even in case an antenna is arranged withoutprotruding from the casing, thereby obtaining sufficient radiationcharacteristics.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that the antenna has a first element part having a first electriclength and a second element part having a second electric length, theone end sides of the first element part and the second element part areconnected to each other by a reactance part having a reactancecomponent, and the other end side of one element part of the two elementparts serves as a feeding part.

With this configuration, a single antenna has a plurality of resonancepoints (resonance frequencies) so that it is possible to prevent anantenna gain in a low frequency band irrespective of whether the casingis opened or closed.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that the electric length of the first element part is set to ¼ timesas long as the wavelength λ1 of a first frequency, and the electriclength of the second element part is formed so that the sum of theelectric length of the second element part and the electric length ofthe first element part is set to ¼ or ⅜ times as long as the wavelengthλ2 of a second frequency.

With this configuration, a favorable antenna characteristic is obtainedin each of the first and second frequencies.

The communication terminal according to the invention is characterizedin that a receiving part and a transmitting part are provided in exposedsurface sides of the two casing members which are exposed when the twocasing members are changed from a closed state to a opened state, andthe antenna is disposed near the hinge portion provided in a backsurface side opposite to the exposed surfaces.

With this configuration, when the user holds the casings in his/her handto make a call, the antenna is less likely to be covered by the user'shand and the antenna is placed away from the head of the user. Thisreduces the amount of an electromagnetic wave absorbed by a human body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to an embodiment of the invention in a closed state;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to the embodiment of the invention in a first opened state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to the embodiment of the invention in a second opened state;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to the embodiment of the invention in a third opened state;

FIG. 5 is the external view the communication terminal in the firstopened state held in a hand;

FIG. 6 is an external view the communication terminal in the thirdopened state held in a hand;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of acommunication terminal according to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the casing of the foldablecommunication terminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge of the foldablecommunication terminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the hinge in the first opened state;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (cam diagram) of the operation of acam attached to the hinge;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second antenna provided on thecommunication terminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a characteristics plot showing the VSWR characteristic of asecond antenna provided on the communication terminal according to thisembodiment;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory drawing of the features of the communicationterminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 16 illustrates the operation principle of the second antenna usedfor the communication terminal according to this embodiment, (a) showingin a closed state, (b) showing in the first opened state, and (c)showing in the third opened state;

FIG. 17 shows a directional pattern of the second antenna used for thecommunication terminal, (a) showing xyz axes with respect to a casing,(b) showing in an opened state (first and third opened states), and (c)showing in a closed state;

FIG. 18 shows the VSWR characteristic of the second antenna and theimpedance characteristic in a case that the first and second casingmembers are tight coupled, (a) and (b) showing in closed states, and (c)showing in a first opened state;

FIG. 19 illustrates the degree of deformation of a flexible board inaccordance with the opening/closing operation of the casings of thecommunication terminal, (a) showing the casings in a closed state, (b)showing in a opened state, and (c) showing in a first opened state;

FIG. 20 illustrates the structure of the prior art communicationterminal and operation principle of its antenna, (a) showing in a closedstate and (b) showing a opened state; and

FIG. 21 illustrates the deformation in accordance with theopening/closing operation of a flexible board wound in a helical mannerprovided in a prior art communication terminal, (a) showing the casingsin an opened state and (b) showing in a closed state.

In the drawings, a numeral 101 represents a casing, 101 a a first casingmember, 101 b a second casing member, 101 c, 101 d a hinge mountingportion, 101 e a D-shaped hole, 101 f a bearing, 101 g a main face ofthe second casing member, 101 h a right side of the second casingmember, 101 j a main face of the first casing member, 101 j a rear faceof the first casing member, 101 k an inner face of the second casingmember, 102 a hinge, 103 an antenna, 103 a a first antenna, 103 b asecond antenna, 103 c a first element, 103 d a second element, 103 e areactance portion, 103 f a concave portion, 103 g a convex portion, 103h a power feeding portion, 104 a vibrator, 105 an operating portion 105a a first operating portion 105 b a second operating portion, 106 areceiver, 107 a loudspeaker, 108 a microphone, 109 a camera portion 109a a first camera portion 109 b a second camera, 110 a first Hallelement, 111 a second Hall element, 112 a first display portion, 113 asecond display portion, 114 a first permanent magnet, 115 a secondpermanent magnet, 116 a printed board, 116 a a first printed board, 116b a second printed board, 117 a transceiver, 118 a data processor, 119 aspeech processor, 120 an image processor, 121 an information recordingportion, 122 a control portion, 123 a a protrusion, 123 b a clearance,124 a battery, 125 a first rotation axis, 125 a a notch, 125 b asupport, 125 c a partition, 125 d a slot, 125 e a screw hole, 126 asecond rotation axis, 127 a support plate, 127 a a concave portion, 127b a support hole, 128 a guide axis, 128 a a large diameter portion, 128b a small diameter portion, 128 c a parallel groove, 128 d a D-cutportion, 129 a first coil spring, 130 a first click convex plate, 130 aa convex portion, 131 a first click concave plate, 131 a a concaveportion, 132 a cam, 133 a second click convex plate, 133 a a convexportion, 134 a second coil spring, 135 a bracket, 135 a a hole, 136 anE-ring, 137 a first rotation axis bearing 137 a a groove, 138 a hingeunit, 139 a flexible board, 139 a a corner, 139 b a first windingportion, 139 c a second winding portion, 140 a cable, 141 a front cover,141 a an engaging claw, 141 b a screw through hole, 142 a rear cover,142 a an engaging claw, 142 b a screw through hole, and 143 a, 143 b atightening screw.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the foldable communication terminal according to theinvention are described below referring to drawings. While thecommunication terminal is described as a foldable cell phone supportingboth the W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system and theGSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), the invention isapplicable to other foldable communication terminals also.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable communication terminalaccording to an embodiment of the invention in a closed state. FIG. 2 isa perspective view of a foldable communication terminal according to anembodiment of the invention in a first opened state. FIG. 3 is aperspective view of a foldable communication terminal according to anembodiment of the invention in a second opened state. FIG. 4 is aperspective view of a foldable communication terminal according to anembodiment of the invention in a third opened state. FIG. 5 is anexternal view the communication terminal in the first opened state helpin a hand. FIG. 6 is an external view the communication terminal in thethird opened state help in a hand. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of afoldable communication terminal according to an embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electricalconfiguration of a communication terminal according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, a foldable communication terminalaccording to this embodiment includes a casing 101, a hinge portion 102,an antenna 103, a vibrator portion 104, an operating portion 105, areceiving portion (receiver) 106, a speaker 107, a transmitting portion(microphone) 108, a camera portion 109, a first Hall element 110, asecond Hall element 111, a first display portion 112, a second displayportion 113, a first permanent magnet 114, a second permanent magnet115, and a printed board 116. The printed board 116 includes atransceiver 117, a data converter 118, a speech processor 119, an imageprocessor 120, an information recording portion 121 and a controlportion 122, as shown in FIG. 8.

Components of the communication terminal according to this embodimentare described below.

The casing 101 is described first. The casing 101 includes a firstcasing member 101 a and a second casing member 101 b. FIG. 9 is anexploded perspective view of the casing 101 of the foldablecommunication terminal according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9,a hinge mounting portions 101 c, 101 d for holding the hinge portion 102are formed on the second casing member 101 b. A D-shaped hole 101 e forholding the hinge portion 102 is formed on the hinge mounting portion101 c. A bearing 101 f for supporting the hinge portion 102 is formed onthe hinge mounting portion 101 d.

The first casing member 101 a and the second casing member 101 b of thecasing 101 can be opened and closed about the hinge portion 102 as anaxis. In the following description, a state where the first casingmember 101 a is closed onto the second casing member 101 b is called the“closed state” and a state where the first casing member 101 a is openedwith respect to the second casing member 101 b is called the “openedstate”. Typically, the communication terminal is carried in the closedstate and used in the opened state. As shown in FIG. 2, a state wherethe angle formed by the first casing member 101 and the second casingmember 101 b is approximately 180 degrees is called the “first openedstate”. As shown in FIG. 3, a state where the angle formed by the firstcasing member 101 and the second casing member 101 b is approximately 90degrees is called the “second opened state”.

The first and second casing members 101 a, 101 b are coupled to eachother so that they can be rotated in the direction orthogonal to theopening/closing direction in the second opened state, as shown in FIGS.4 and 6. The configuration rotatable in the orthogonal direction will bedescribed later. A state shown in FIG. 4 where the first casing member101 a is rotated from the opened state in FIG. 3 by 90 degrees in thedirection of an arrow S, that is, in the direction orthogonal to theopening/closing direction, is called the “third opened state”. The firstcasing member can be rotated up to 150 degrees in the direction of S. Inthe third opened state, the first display portion 112 is in landscapeorientation, which is preferable in displaying an image of VGA size.This allows display of a larger image than when the same display portionis in portrait orientation.

In this embodiment, a protrusion 123 a is formed on the surface of thesecond casing member 101 b which abuts the first casing member 101 a inthe closed state. Thus, a clearance 123 b produced by the protrusion 123a is formed between the first casing member 101 a and the second casingmember 101 b in the closed state.

Other components will be described. The antenna 103 includes a firstantenna 103 a and a second antenna 103 b. The first antenna 103 a housedin the first casing member 101 a is an antenna which performscommunications of W-CDMA system in the opened state alone. While thecasing is in the closed state, communications using the antenna 103 aare unavailable. The second antenna 103 b, in the first place, performscommunications of W-CDMA system in the closed state and in the secondplace, performs communications in the GSM band in either the opened orclosed state. The second antenna is a multifrequency antenna which has aresonant point in the 900 MHz band, 1.8 GHz band and 1.9 GHz band as GSMbands as well as 2 GHz band as a W-CDMA band in order to performcommunications in these four bands.

As shown in FIG. 8, the transceiver 117 is connected to the first andsecond antennas 103 a, 103 b and processes data received by the firstand second antennas 103 a, 103 b and transmits the processed data to thedata converter 118. The data converter 118 converts the received data tovoice data and transmits the data to the speech processor 119. Thespeech processor 119 decodes the voice data to generate a speech signaland transmits the speech signal to the receiving portion 106 and thespeaker 107. The receiving portion 106 and the speaker 107 output voicecorresponding to the speech signal transmitted from the speech processor119.

The speech processor 119 encodes the voice picked up by the microphoneto generate voice data and transmits the voice data to the dataconverter 118. The data converter 118 converts the transmitted voicedata to communications data and transmits the communications data to thetransceiver 117. The transceiver 117 processes the receivedcommunications data and transmits the data in the form of a radio wavecarrying a radio signal via the antenna 103.

As shown in FIG. 8, the camera portion 109, the first display portion112 and the second display portion 113 are connected to the imageprocessor 120. The receiving portion 106, the speaker 107 and themicrophone 108 are connected to the speech processor 119. The speechprocessor 119 is connected to the data converter 118. The controlportion 122 is connected to the vibrator 114, the operating portion 115,the first Hall element 110, the second Hall element 111, the transceiver117, the data converter 118 and the information recording portion 121and controls these components. The control portion 122 is connected tothe battery 124, which feeds power.

The vibrator portion 104 vibrates on call termination to notify the userof an incoming call by way of vibration. The operating portion 105includes a first operating portion 105 and a second operating portion105 b. The first operating portion 105 a is provided on a side 101 g ofthe second casing member 101 b (main face of the second casing member)which is opposed to the first casing member 101 a in the closed state.The second operating portion 105 b is provided on the right side 101 hof the opposed side 101 g (right side of the second casing member). Theuser manipulates the operating portion to perform call answering, callrelease, adjust the volume of the receiving portion 106 and the speaker107 as well as enter characters, symbols and numerals. The user canmanipulate the operating portion 105 b to operate the camera portion109.

The first and second display portions 112, 113, which may be liquidcrystal displays, display characters, symbols, numerals, images andmaps. The first display portion 112 is provided on a side 101 j of thefirst casing member 101 a (main face of the first casing member) exposedwhen the casing 101 is in the closed state and is opposed to the firstoperating portion 105 a in case the casing is closed. The second displayportion 113 is provided on the side 101 j (rear face of the first casingmember) opposite to the side where the first display portion 112 isprovided. The receiving portion 106, the speaker 107 and the microphone108 are provided on an exposed face exposed when the casing 101 ischanged from the closed state to the opened state, that is, on the mainfaces 10 i, 101 g of the first and second casing members 101 a, 101 b.The second antennas 103 b is provided close to the rear face opposite tothe exposed face.

The camera portion 109 includes a first camera portion 109 a and asecond camera portion 109 b. The first camera portion 109 a is providedin a position adjacent to the first display portion 112 where a subjectin the forward direction of the first display portion 112 can bephotographed. The second camera portion 109 b is provided on the hingemounting portion 101 c where a subject in the forward direction of thesecond display portion 113 can be photographed in the third openedstate.

An incident light from a subject captured by the first camera portion109 a is converted from an optical signal to an electric signal to formimage information. The image information is processed by the imageprocessor 120 and displayed on the first and second display portions112, 113. The image information undergoes predetermined operation and isrecorded in the information recording portion 121. The informationrecording portion 121 also records telephone number information andvoice information, image information other than that of the photographedimage (such as received image information), as well as text informationsuch as text in a mail being prepared or transmitted/received.

The speaker 107 outputs a ringing tone on call termination to notify theuser of an incoming call. The speaker 107 is provided at an end awayfrom the hinge mounting portions 101 c, 101 d of the second casingmember 101 b, so that The speaker 107 outputs a voice toward the firstcasing member 101 a which is opposed thereto when the casing 101 is inthe closed state. The speaker 107 can output voice of a larger volumethan the receiving portion 106 in the hand-free mode or videophone mode.

The receiving portion 106 outputs voice when the communication terminalaccording to this embodiment is used as an ordinary cell phone. Thevoice output from the receiving portion 106 is directed in the forwarddirection of the first display portion 112. The receiving portion 106 isprovided at the end of the first casing member 101 a opposed to thespeaker 107. The user places the casing 101 in the first opened state toanswer a call, and after a predetermined operation, brings the receivingportion 106 at his/her ear to listens to a voice. The microphone 108 isprovided in close proximity to the hinge mounting portion 10 d of themain face of the second casing member 101 b.

The first permanent magnet 114 is provided in close proximity to thefirst display portion 112 of the first casing member 101 a. The firstHall element 110 is provided on the second casing member 101 b so thatit will be opposed to the first permanent magnet while the casing 101 isin the closed state. The second permanent magnet 115 is provided in thehinge portion 102. The second Hall element 111 is provided on the firstcasing member 101 a so that it will be opposed to the second permanentmagnet 115 while the casing 101 is in the closed state or in the firstopened state.

While the casing 101 is in the closed state, the first permanent magnet114 comes in proximity to the first Hall element 110, so that the firstHall element detects the first permanent magnet 114 and transmits adetection signal to the control portion 122. Unless the casing 101 is inthe closed state (first, second and third opened state), the firstpermanent magnet 114 is isolated from the first Hall element 110 so thatthe first Hall element 110 cannot detect the first permanent magnet 114thus the first Hall element 110 does not generate a detection signal.

While the casing 101 is in the closed state, first opened state orsecond opened state, the second permanent magnet 115 comes in closeproximity to the second Hall element, so that the second Hall elementdetects the second permanent magnet 115 and transmits a detection signalto the control portion 122. While the casing 101 is in the third openedstate, the second permanent magnet 115 is isolated from the second Hallelement 111 so that the second Hall element 111 cannot detect the secondpermanent magnet 115 thus the second Hall element 111 does not generatea detection signal. The control portion 122 recognizes the opened/closedstate and rotating state of the first casing member 101 a and the secondcasing member 101 b based n whether a detection signal is received fromthe first casing member 101 a and the second casing member 101 b.

The printed board 116 includes a first printed board 116 a and a secondprinted board 116 b. The first printed board 116 a is housed in thefirst casing member 101 a while the second printed board 116 b is housedin the second casing member 101 b.

Next, the hinge portion 102 is detailed below referring to FIGS. 9through 12. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the casing 101 ofthe foldable communication terminal according to this embodiment. FIG.10 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge of the foldablecommunication terminal according to this embodiment. FIG. 11 is asectional view of the hinge portion 102 in the first opened state. FIG.12 is an explanatory diagram (cam diagram) of the operation of a camattached to the hinge portion 102.

As shown in FIGS. 9 through 11, the hinge portion 102 of thecommunication terminal according to this embodiment includes; a hingeunit 138 including a first rotation axis 125, a second rotation axis126, a support plate 127, a guide axis 128, a first coil spring 129, afirst click convex plate 130, a cam 132, a second click convex plate133, a second coil spring 134, a bracket 135, an E-ring 136, and a firstrotation axis bearing 137; a flexible board 139; a cable 140; a frontcover 141; a rear cover 142; and tightening screws 143 a, 143 b. Amongthe components of the hinge unit 138, only the first rotation axisbearing 137 is formed of a resin material. The other components areformed of a conductive metal material. A sliding resistance reducingmember formed of a material such as a polyacetal resin may be insertedon a sliding portion as required.

The first hollow rotation axis 125 includes in the center, a notch 125a, a support 125 b for supporting the second rotation axis 126, apartition 125 c, a slit 125 d, a screw hole 125 e, and a secondpermanent magnet 125 f. On the notch 125 a is provided a support plate127. On the support plate 127 are formed a convex portion 127 a and asupport hole 127 b for supporting the second rotation axis 126. Insidethe first rotation axis 125 attached a guide axis 128, a first coilspring 129, a first click convex plate 130 and a first click concaveplate, from left to right in FIG. 10.

The guide axis 128 includes a large diameter portion 128 a and a smalldiameter portion 128 b. In the large diameter portion 128 a is formed aparallel groove 128 c. At the tip of the small diameter portion 128 b isformed a D-cut portion 128 d. The first click convex plate 130 cannotrotate about the guide axis 128 b and is provided so as to be movableonly in the thrust direction of the small diameter portion 128 b. To thefirst click concave plate 131 is inserted the small diameter portion 128b in a rotatable fashion and the first click concave plate 131 is fixedto the end of the first rotation axis 125.

The first coil spring 129 forces the first click convex plate 130 towardthe first click concave plate 131. While the casing 101 is in the closedstate or in the first opened state, the convex portion 130 a of thefirst click convex plate 130 engages the concave portion 131 a of thefirst click concave plate 131. In case the casing 101 is placed into theclosed state from the first opened state, engagement between the convexportion 130 a and the concave portion 131 a is released. In case thecasing 101 is placed into the first opened state, the convex portion 130a engages the concave portion 131 a. This gives the user a click feel atthe engagement/release of engagement between the convex portion 130 aand the concave portion 131 a.

To the second rotation axis are attached a cam 132, a support plate 127,a second click convex plate 133, a second coil spring 134 and a bracket135, from top to bottom in the middle of FIG. 10. The second rotationaxis 126 is supported by a support plate 127 attached to the notch 125 ain the first rotation axis 125 and a support portion 125 b of the firstrotation axis 125. At the tip of the second rotation axis 125 isprovided an E-ring 136, which is held rotatably about the first rotationaxis 125. The second click convex plate 133 is provided so as to bemovable only in the thrust direction of the second rotation axis 126.The second coil spring 134 forces the second click convex plate 133toward the support plate 127.

Until the casing 101 is placed in the first opened state from the closedstate via the second opened state, or only in case the casing 101 is inthe third opened state, the convex portion 133 a of the second clickconvex plate 133 engages the concave portion 127 a of the support plate127. When the casing 101 shifts from the second opened state to thethird opened state, engagement between the convex portion 133 a of thesecond click convex plate 122 and the concave portion 127 a of thesupport portion 127 is released and engagement is reestablished in thethird opened state. This configuration, same as the aforementionedconfiguration of the convex portion 130 a of the first click convexplate 130 and the concave portion 131 a of the first click concave plate131, gives the user a click feel.

In the bracket 135 is formed a hole 135 a used to fix the bracket 135 tothe first casing member 101 a together with the first printed board 116a by way of the tightening screw 143 a. In this embodiment, the bracket135 is insulated from the first printed board 116 a. With thisconfiguration, the hinge unit 138 is insulated from the printed boards116 a, 116 b of the first and second casing members 101 a, 101 b, andinsulated from the first casing member 101 a and the second casingmember 101 b. Conversely, in case the hinge unit 138 is to be groundedto the first printed board 116 a, a grounding pattern may be formed onthe first printed board 116 a which abuts the bracket 135. When wishingto electrically connect the hinge unit 138 to the first casing member101 a without the first printed board 116 a, for example, the outerjacket of the first casing member 101 a may be formed from a metalmaterial having a conductivity, such as an aluminum ally or a magnesiumalloy by way of a die-casting method and the hinge unit 138 may beconnected thereto.

The clearance L between the first printed bard 116 a as a conductor onthe first casing member 101 a and the second printed bard 116 b as aconductor on the second casing member 101 b is set to approximately λ/10(15 mm) assuming that the wavelength λ in the 1 GHz band is 150 mm. Thisprovides capacity coupling between the first casing member 101 a andsecond casing member 101 b with a high impedance provided between them.The clearance L is preferably narrower for capacity coupling betweenthem.

The cam 132 is housed in the first rotation axis 125 while fixed to thesecond rotation axis 126 and sandwiched between the partition 125 c ofthe first rotation axis 125 and the large diameter portion 128 a of theguide axis 128. The cam 132 crosses the parallel groove 128 c except inthe second opened state as the casing 101 is placed into the firstopened state from the closed state, and is in parallel with the parallelgroove 128 c in the second opened state. In the second opened state, thecam which rotates in accordance with the rotation of the second rotationaxis 125 can be guided into the parallel groove 128 c, so that it ispossible to rotate the first casing member 101 a in the direction of S.The above operation is described below referring to the cam diagram ofFIG. 12.

In the cam diagram of FIG. 12, the shaded area on the right shows apartition 125 c. The shaded area on the left shows a large diameterportion 128 a of a guide axis 128. The position of the cam 132 assumedwhen the casing 101 is in the closed state is shown with a position a.The position of the cam 132 assumed when the casing 101 is in the firstopened state is shown with a position b. The position of the cam 132assumed when the casing 101 is in the second opened state is shown witha position c.

At the positions a, b, the right and left end faces of the cam arerespectively surrounded by the partitions 125 c and the large diameterportion 128 a of the guide axis 128, so that the cam 132 cannot rotate.At the position c, the partition 125 c is on the side of the right endface of the cam 132, so that the cam 132 cannot rotate in the oppositedirection to S. On the side of the left end face of the cam 132 is theparallel groove 128 c, s that the cam 132 can rotate in the direction ofS by 150 degrees. Where the cam 132 has rotated in the direction S by150 degrees, part of the cam 312 is in the parallel groove 128 c. Inthis state, the board thickness direction of the cam 132 is surroundedby the parallel groove 128 c so that the casing. 101 is inhibited tochange into the closed state or first opened state.

In a case that the casing 101 performs opening/closing operation betweenthe closed state and the first opened state, the first casing member 101a cannot rotate in the direction of S or in the direction opposite to S,except in the second opened state. In the second opened state, thecasing 101 cannot rotate in the direction opposite to S but can rotatein the direction of S by 150 degrees. Further, between the second openedstate and the third opened state, the first rotation axis 125 cannotrotate and the casing cannot be opened/closed. The ridge of the firstcasing member 101 a abuts the main face 101 g of the second casingmember 101 b so as to avoid any damage.

Inside the first rotation axis 125 is attached a first hollow rotationaxis bearing 137 from right in the middle of FIG. 10. The groove 237 aof the first rotation axis bearing 137 is attached in the same directionas the slit 125 d.

To the hinge unit 138 are assembled a flexible board 139 and a cable140. The flexible board 139 including a corner 139 a electricallyconnects the first casing member 101 a and the second casing member 101b. One end of the corner 139 a is wound about the first rotation axisbearing 137 to form a first winding portion 139 b. The corner 139 a ispassed from the groove 137 a into the first rotation axis bearing 137.The other end of the corner 139 a is passes through the slit 125 d to goout of the first rotation axis 125 to be wound about the first rotationaxis 125 about a half turn and wound about the second rotation axis 126to form a second winding portion 139 c, which is connected to the firstcasing member 101 a.

A cable 140 for electrically connecting the first antenna 103 a providedin the first casing member 101 a and the transceiver 117 provided in thesecond casing member 101 b is passed from the end of the first rotationaxis 137 through the first rotation axis bearing 137, exist from theslit 125 d and extends toward the first casing member 101 a, and isconnected to the first antenna 103 a via the inside of the secondwinding portion 139 c.

After the flexible board 139 and the cable 140 are assembled onto thehinge unit 138, a front cover 141 and a rear cover 142 as exteriorcomponents are fixed with a tightening screw 143 b. On the front cover141 and the rear cover 142 are respectively provided engaging claws 141a, 142 a and screw through holes 141 b, 142 b. The screw through holes141 b, 142 b are provided so that they will face the bracket 134provided on the second rotation axis 126. The front cover 141 and therear cover 142 engage the engaging claws 141 a, 142 a while surroundingto sandwich the hinge unit 138. The tightening screw 143 b is fixed intothe screw hole 125 e of the first rotation axis 125 via the screwthrough holes 141 b, 142 b. This configuration complete the hingeportion 102.

The D-cut portion 128 d formed at the tip of the small diameter portion128 b is supported by the D-shaped hole 101 e provided in the hingemounting portion 101 c of the second casing member 101 b. The rim of thefirst rotation axis bearing 137 is supported by the bearing 101 f of thehinge mounting portion 101 d of the second casing member 101 b and thehinge portion 102 is mounted on the second casing member 101 b. To thebracket 135 is attached the first casing member 101 a.

Next, the configuration of a second antenna is detailed below referringto drawings. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second antenna 103 bprovided on the communication terminal according to this embodiment. InFIG. 13, the second antenna 103 b is adhered to the internal face 101 kof a side in the proximity to the hinge mounting portions 101 c, 101 dwhich is adjacent to the main face 101 g of the second casing member 101b and is opposed in close proximity to the first casing member 101 awhen the casing 101 is in the first opened state. The second antenna 103b includes a first element 103 c, a second element 103 d, and areactance portion 103 e arranged between the first and second elements103 c, 103 d. The second antenna 103 b is formed by way of pressworking.

The electricity length of the first element 103 c is formed so as toreach ¼ of the wavelength λ1 of a frequency of approximately 1.9 GHz.The electricity length of the second element 103 d is formed so that thesum of the electricity length of the second element and that of thefirst element obtained when one end of each of the first and secondelements 103 c, 103 d are connected by the reactance portion 103 e willbe ¼ (or ⅜) of the wavelength λ2 of a frequency of 900 MHz. Thereactance portion 103 e is formed so that the step height between theequidistant concave portion 103 f and convex portion 103 g will reachapproximately d. The power feeding portion 103 h provided at the otherend of the first element 103 c is forced by a probe-type pin connector116 c surface-mounted on the left corner of the second printed board 116b to be electrically connected to the second printed board 116 b, asshown in FIG. 7. The power feeding portion 103 h is arranged apart fromthe flexible board 139 housed in the hinge mounting portion 101 d. Byconnecting the first and second elements 103 c, 103 d by way of thereactance portion 103 e, it is possible to implement a multifrequencyantenna having a plurality of resonance points. FIG. 14 shows the VSWRcharacteristic of the second antenna 103 b. The characteristic plotshows measured data of VSWR in the frequency range of 0.5 to 2.5 GHz.

The communication terminal according to this embodiment may be used bythe user with the receiving portion 106 at the ear in the first openedstate, or hands-free. In case the user reads an e-mail or enterscharacters, the user holds in his/her hand the communication terminal soas to orient the first operating portion 105 a and the first displayportion 112 to the user, as shown in FIG. 5. The speaker 107 is notcovered by the user's right hand or left hand, thus the user hears clearvoice from the speaker 107.

As shown in FIG. 6, the user holds the communication terminal so as toorient the second operating portion 105 b and the first display portion112 a to the user in the third opened state. In this case, the firstdisplay portion 112 is best viewed in front of the user so that the userholds the second casing member 101 b in his/her right hand. In thispractice, the loudspeaker is not covered by the right hand, thus theuser hears clear voice from the speaker 107.

Operation of the communication terminal according to this embodimentwill be described referring to FIGS. 1 through 15. FIG. 15 illustratesthe mode-based features of the communication terminal according to thisembodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, when the power is supplied to thecommunication terminal according to this embodiment, the vicecommunications mode starts. The user can manipulate the operatingportion 105 to toggle between modes and perform each feature in thenon-voice communications mode or camera mode.

In the voice communications mode, the communication terminal starts thestandby operation of voice and non-voice communications. The user cantalk with a distant party by answering an incoming voice call ororiginating a voice call. In the standby state, information such as thecurrent time is displayed on the second display portion while the casing101 is in the closed state and on the first display portion 112 while inthe opened state. On call termination, the time display disappears andthe originating number of the distant party is displayed. In case theoriginating number of the distant party is registered to the directorytogether with his/her name, the distant party's name is displayed. Afterthat, the user manipulates the operating portion to start conversation.

In the non-voice communications mode, while maintaining the standbystate, the user displays text information entered from the operatingportion 105 on the first display portion 112 as well as transmits to thedistant party the text information and voice/non-voice (such as image)information stored in the information recording portion 121 by using thetransmission feature.

In case the text information or voice/non-voice information is receivedwhile the casing 101 is opened, a message notifying reception of theinformation is displayed on the first display portion 112. In case theii is received while the casing 101 is closed, a message notifyingreception of the information is displayed on the second display portion113. With a predetermined operation by the user, text information andimage information can be displayed on the first and second displayportions 112, 113. For voice or non-voice communications, the directoryfeature is made available in order to specify the distant party. Theuser displays candidate distant party's names on the first displayportion 112 by using the directory feature for selection andspecification of the distant party.

In the camera mode, photographing using the camera portion 109 may bemade in the opened state. For example, in the third opened state, whenthe user himself/herself on the side of the first display portion 112 isphotographed using the first camera portion 109 a, a mirror image of theuser is displayed on the first display portion 112, which state issimilar to looking into a mirror. When the user operates the secondcamera portion 109 b to photograph a person ahead (subject), a mirrorimage is displayed on the first display portion 113 and a reversedmirror image is displayed on the first display portion 112. Thus, aperson ahead as a subject can check how he/she is photographed bywatching the second display portion 113. The user as a photographerwatches the photographed image displayed on the first display portion112 to check how the subject is photographed.

To start or end photographing or use the zoom feature, the user canmanipulate the second operating portion 105 b to perform necessaryoperations. When wishing not to allow the subject ahead to watch aphotographed image, the user can manipulate the operating portion 105 tohide a photographed image displayed on the second display portion 113 inthe third opened state. A photographed image can be recorded into theinformation recording portion 121 as a still image or moving image. Toreproduce a moving image or a still image recorded in the informationrecording portion 121, the user performs a predetermined operation todisplay a photographed image on the first display portion 112 andvisually check the image. The photographed image can be stored into adirector in association with telephone number information. On calltermination from a telephone number associated with the imageinformation, the reversed mirror image of the photographed image isdisplayed on the second display portion 113 when the casing 101 is inthe closed state, and on the first or second display portion 112, 113when the casing 101 is in the opened state. To be more precise, even incase a mirror image is not displayed at the time of photographing, areversed mirror image is displayed when the recorded image isreproduced. It is possible to transmit an image photographed with thecamera portion 109 to a distant party.

In any mode, the user is notified on call termination by way of aringing tone from the speaker 107. Even in case the casing 101 is in theclosed state, the ringing tone output from the speaker 107 is guidedoutside the casing 101 via the clearance 123 b between the first casingmember 101 a and the second casing member 101 b, so that the user hear aclear ringing tone. When the casing 101 is in the opened state, thefront side of the loudspeaker is open so that the user has no difficultyin hearing the ringing tone. In case the communication terminal is setto the manner mode, the ringing tone is not output but the vibratorportion 104 operates to vibrate the casing 101 for a predeterminedperiod.

Rotation of the casing 101 is described below.

As the casing 101 in the closed state is opened, the casing 101 rotatesabout the first rotation axis 125. The number of turns of the firstwinding portion 139 b of the flexible board 139 decreases by the numberof rotations of the first rotation axis bearing 137 which rotates withthe first rotation axis 125. This reduces the bending stress on theflexible board 139. The cable 140 is arranged approximately at the sameposition as the center of the first rotation axis 125. Thus the bendingstress remains unchanged and only the torsion stress is generated. Whenthe casing 101 returns to the closed state from the first opened state,the operation from the closed state to the opened state is reversed.

When the first casing member 101 a is rotated in the direction of S by90 degrees and the casing 101 is placed into the third opened state fromthe second opened state, the number of turns of the second windingportion 139 c of the flexible board 139 is increased/decreased inaccordance with the number of rotations of the second rotation axis. Theflexible board 139 only increases/decreases the number of turns ofwinding, so that only the bending stress is increased/decreased and thetorsion stress is not generated. The cable 140 is wound around thesecond rotation axis 126 by the distance the first rotating had rotated.However, the second rotation axis has a smaller diameter than the firstrotation axis 125. Thus the curvature radius when wound is smaller toavoid a large bending stress.

The flexible board 139 forms the first and second winding portions 139b, 139 c about the center of the first and second rotation axes 125,126. Thus, even when the first and second rotation axes 125, 126 rotate,only the curvature and number of turns change. Thus, the pulling or warpof the flexible board 139 in rotation is absorbed by the first andsecond winding portion 139 b, 139 c. Thus, only the bending stresschanges and the torsion stress is not generated.

When the casing 101 is in the closed state, first opened state or secondopened state, the head of the tightening screw 143 b is opposed to thefirst casing member 101 a so that the tightening screw 143 b isconcealed by the first casing member 101 a. Only when the casing 101 isrotating from the second opened state to the third opened state, thehead of the tightening screw 143 b is exposed. However, the head of thetightening screw 143 b is exposed only in the third opened state, sothat it is possible to reduce the chances of the head of the tighteningscrew 143 b being exposed.

Even in case a photographed moving image is reproduced or in case thecommunication terminal according to this embodiment is used as avideophone, the user does not cover the speaker 107 with his/her hand sothat the user hear a clear voice reproduced from the speaker 107. Theuser does not cover the microphone 108 either when using thecommunication terminal as a videophone, the user equally hears a clearvoice of the distant party output from the speaker 107 and speaks intothe microphone without failure.

While the protrusion 123 a to form a clearance 123 b between the firstcasing member 101 a and the second casing member 101 b when the casing101 is in the closed state is formed on the surface of the second casingmember 101 b in this embodiment, a similar protrusion may be providedelsewhere, such as on the first casing member 101 a. Other means may beused, such as protruding a cover member to conceal the tightening screw143 for tightening the first casing member 101 a from the surface of thefirst casing member 101 a. That is, in order to guide a voice outputfrom the speaker 107 outside the casing 101 even when the casing 101 isin the closed state, the clearance 123 b should be formed between thecasing member where the speaker 107 is arranged and the opposed casingmember.

Next, operation of the second antenna 103 b is described below. FIG. 16illustrates the operation principle of the second antenna 103 b used forthe communication terminal according to this embodiment in a closedstate. FIG. 16(a) shows the closed state of the casing. FIG. 16(b) showsthe first opened state of the casing. FIG. 17A shows the xyz axes withrespect to the casing of the communication terminal. FIG. 17B shows thedirectional pattern of the second antenna 103 b in FIG. 16 in the openedstate of the casing (first and third opened states). FIG. 17C shows thedirectional pattern of the second antenna 103 b in the closed state ofthe casing.

In FIG. 16, the first casing member 101 a is connected to the secondcasing member 101 b having the second antenna 103 b by way of capacitycoupling (stray capacitances) and is insulated in terms of DC. The firstcasing member 101 a operates as a reflector when the two casing members101 a, 101 b are in the closed state while operates as a waveguide inthe first opened state. In the closed state shown in FIG. 16(a), thedirection of the high-frequency currents (casing currents) flowingthrough the first and second casing members 101 a, 101 b are shown byarrows A and B and the magnitude of the current is greater on the sideof the second casing member 101 b.

In the first opened state shown in FIG. 16(b), the magnitude of thehigh-frequency current flowing through the first casing member 101 a issubstantially equal to that of the high-frequency current flowingthrough the second casing member 101 b but the direction of the currenthas an opposite phase. In this case, as shown by the arrow C, thedirection of the high-frequency current is reversed with respect to thearrow B. The direction of the high-frequency current flowing into thesecond casing member 101 b shown by the arrow D is the same as the arrowA. Thus, in the first opened state, an electromagnetic wave isirradiated from the first casing member 101 a as well.

In the third opened state shown in FIG. 16(c), the high-frequencycurrent (arrow E) flowing through the second casing member 101 b is thesame as the high-frequency current (arrow A) flowing through the secondcasing member 101 b in the closed state. The first casing member 101 acrosses the second casing member 101 b so that the first casing member101 a does not operate as a waveguide but similarly to the closed state.The direction of the high-frequency current (arrow F) flowing throughthe first casing member 101 a is approximately orthogonal to thehigh-frequency current (arrow E) flowing through the second casingmember 101 b. The casing current (arrow F) on the side of the firstcasing member 101 a does not cancel the casing current (arrow E) on theside of the second casing member 101 b. Thus, the gain of the secondantenna 103 b is not reduced. An electromagnetic wave is irradiated fromthe second casing member 101 b as well as from the first casing member101 a.

While the second antenna 103 b is arranged along the first rotation axis125 of the hinge unit 138, it may be arranged elsewhere. For example,the second antenna 103 b may be arranged so as to extend the end of thesecond antenna (opposite to the power feeding portion side) in adirection away from the hinge portion 102, that is, from the hingeportion 102 to the battery (end of the second casing member 101 b). Evenin case a protruding antenna is provided in close proximity to thehinge, placing the first and second casing members in loose couplingreduces the drop in the antenna gain while the casing is held in theuser's hand, since the first casing member operates as a radiator and awaveguide as mentioned earlier. That is, an electromagnetic wave isirradiated from the first casing member as well, so that the antennashape may be a plate or a rod.

The VSWR characteristic and impedance characteristic of the secondantenna with the first and second casing members in tight coupling willbe described referring to FIG. 18. In FIG. 18, (a) and (b) respectivelyshow the simulation results of the VSWR characteristic and impedancecharacteristic of the second antenna with the first and second casingmembers in tight coupling in the closed state. In FIG. 18, (c) and (d)respectively show the simulation results of the VSWR characteristic andimpedance characteristic of the second antenna with the first and secondcasing members in tight coupling in the opened state. When the VSWRcharacteristics in two states (a) and (c) in tight coupling are comparedwith each other, in a case that the casing 101 is placed into the firstopened state from the closed state, VSWR shows a negligible changearound the 2 GHz band but a drop on the lower spectrum (around 0.9 GHz).This is because, at a higher frequency, a current flowing into theantenna is large and a casing current is small, while at a lowerfrequency, a current flowing into the antenna is small and a casingcurrent is large. The effect of the opposite-phase current flowingthrough the first casing member 101 a greatly contributes to the lowerfrequencies. From this result, it is understood that the first casingmember 101 a and the second casing member 101 b should be placed inloose coupling especially when a multifrequency antenna is used.

In other words, when the first casing member 101 a and the second casingmember 101 b are in tight electric coupling, the irradiationcharacteristic in the lower resonance frequency band is degraded. Thus,when a multifrequency antenna is used, the two casing members 101 a, 101b should be placed in loose coupling to obtain a favorable antenna gain.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first opened state, the user holds the secondcasing member 101 b in his/her hand and places the receiving portion 106of the first casing member 101 a at his/her ear to talk with the distantparty. In the videophone mode, the user uses the first casing member 101a away from the head. When the user photographs a subject ahead the userholds the second casing member 101 b in the second opened state inhis/her hand. In the first opened state, the first casing member 101 ato irradiate an electromagnetic wave is not covered by the user's handso that a drop in the antenna gain is avoided to perform favorablecommunications. In the third opened state, same as the closed state, theside of the second casing member 101 b where the second antenna 103 b isprovided and the first casing member 101 a are not covered by the user'shand so that it is possible to reduce the gain caused when the casing isheld by the user's hand.

In case the power feeding portion 103 h where the maximum current isproduced is brought in close proximity to the first winding portion 139b of the flexible board 139, when the casing 101 has changed from theclosed state to opened state, the curvature of the first winding portion139 b changes so that the clearance between the two components becomesnarrower, which invites capacity coupling of the flexible board 139 andthe power feeding portion 103 h of the second antenna 103 b. Thus thefrequency response in the lower frequency band shows a narrowbandirradiation characteristic. When the power feeding portion 103 h is inclose proximity to the flexible board 139, a current flows into thefirst casing member 101 a from a point near the power feeding portion103 h, so that the casing current on the side of the first casing member101 a is in opposite phase with the casing current on the side of thesecond casing member 101 b. In this embodiment, the flexible board 139is placed apart from the power feeding portion 103 h and the end wherethe antenna current is approximately zero (end of the second element 103d) is brought in close proximity to the first winding portion 139 b.With this configuration, even in case the casing 101 unfolds/folds, thefirst winding portion 139 b and the second antenna 101 b are not placedin capacity coupling. This prevents narrowband irradiationcharacteristic and prevents the casing current on the side of the firstcasing member 101 a from being in opposite phase. That is, it ispossible to control the casing current so that the casing current on theside of the first casing member 101 a will be in phase with that on theside of the second casing member 101 b. It is thus possible to avoid adrop in the gain of the second antenna 103 irrespective of whether thecasing 101 is opened or closed.

The degree of deformation of the flexible board 139 which accompaniesthe opening/closing operation of the casing 101 will be describedreferring to FIG. 19. In FIG. 19, (a) shows the closed state of thecasing, (b) shows the third opened state of the casing and (c) shows thefirst opened state of the casing. In the closed state shown in FIG.19(a), the flexible board 139 is arranged downward from the firstwinding portion 139 b. In the state where the casing 101 show in FIG.19(b) is opened by 90 degrees, the third (or second) opened state, thenumber of turns of the first winding portion 139 b is reduced by ¾ ofthe circumference, thus the curvature of the first winding portion 139 bincreases and the flexible board 139 approaches the second antenna 103b. In the first opened state shown in FIG. 19(c), the ratio of thechange in the curvature of the first winding portion 139 b furtherincreases and the flexible board 139 further approaches the secondantenna 103 b. Thus, when the casing 101 is changed from the closedstate to the first opened state, the curvature of the first windingportion 139 b changes and the winding aspect inflates, which narrows theclearance between the flexible board 139 and the second antenna 103 b,thereby inviting a drop in the gain of the second antenna 103 b.Therefore, the power feeding portion 103 h is preferably placed apartfrom the first winding portion 139 b as in this embodiment, in order toobtain a better antenna performance.

In this way, according to this embodiment, in a foldable communicationterminal including a flexible board placed in a hinge, the flexibleboard is placed apart from the antenna power feeding portion even incase the flexible conductor is arranged in close proximity to theantenna. This configuration avoids a drop in the antenna gain caused bythe flexible conductor. It is thus possible to suppress degradation ofan antenna gain irrespective of whether the casing is in the closedstate or opened state. It is possible to provide a foldablecommunication terminal including a flexible board which promises alonger service life of the flexible board and allows a built-in antennastructure.

While the invention has been described in details and in terms ofspecific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications can be made in it without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof.

The invention is based on the Japanese Patent Application No.2002-296519 filed Oct. 9, 2002, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As mentioned hereinabove, the invention provides a communicationterminal capable of suppressing degradation of an antenna gainirrespective of whether the casing of the communication terminal isopened or closed.

1. A communication terminal, comprising: a hinge portion, which connectstwo casing members having conductive portions so as to freely open andclose; and an antenna, which is provided near the hinge portion in onecasing member of the two casing members; wherein the hinge portionincludes: a first rotating member, which is formed by conductivematerial and which serves as an axis for rotating the two casing membersin an opposed direction of the two casing members; and a second rotatingmember, which is formed by the conductive material and which serves asan axis for rotating one casing member of the two casing membersrelative to the other casing member under a non-opposed state of the twocasing members in a direction perpendicular to a rotating directionwhile the first rotating member serves as the axis; wherein apredetermined interval for capacity coupling of the conductive portionsof the two casing members is set; and wherein the hinge portion isinsulated from one of the conductive portions of the two casing members.2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the flexibleconductor is disposed along a vicinity of a center of axis of the firstrotating member and a vicinity of a center of axis of the secondrotating member; wherein the flexible conductor is extended to the firstcasing member side through the one end side of the first rotatingmember; and wherein the flexible conductor is extended to the secondcasing member side through the other end side of the second rotatingmember.
 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein aflexible conductor which connects the conductive portions of the twocasing members is disposed in one end side of the first rotating member;and wherein a feeding part of the antenna is disposed in the other endside of the first rotating member.
 4. the communication terminalaccording to claim 3, wherein a winding portion is formed on theflexible conductor disposed in the one end side of the first rotatingmember.
 5. The communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein acable which connects the conductive portions provided in the two casingmembers; and wherein the cable is inserted into the winding portion. 6.The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the antenna isextended from the one end side to the other end side of the firstrotating member.
 7. The communication terminal according to claim 1,wherein the antenna has a first element part having a first electriclength and second element part having a second electric length; whereinthe one end sides of the first element part and the second element partare connected to each other by a reactance part having a reactancecomponent; and wherein the other end side of one element part of the twoelement parts serves a feeding part.
 8. The communication terminalaccording to claim 7, wherein the electric length of the first elementpart is set to ¼ times as long as the wavelength λ1 of a firstfrequency; and wherein the electric length of the second element part isformed so that the sum of the electric length of the second element partand the electric length of the first element part is set to ¼ or ⅜ timesas long as the wavelength λ2 of a second frequency.
 9. The communicationterminal according to claim 1, wherein a receiving part and atransmitting part are provided in exposed surface sides of the twocasing members which are exposed when the two casing members are changedfrom a closed state to a opened state; and wherein the antenna isdisposed near the hinge portion provided in a back surface side oppositeto the exposed surfaces.